Modified cellulose synthase gene from Arabidopsis thaliana confers herbicide resistance to plants

Patent · 10 July 2007

OSTI ID:912868

Somerville, Chris R ^[1]; Scheible, Wolf ^[2]

---

1. Portola Valley, CA
2. Golm, DE

Cellulose synthase ("CS"), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of cellulose in plants is inhibited by herbicides comprising thiazolidinones such as 5-tert-butyl-carbamoyloxy-3-(3-trifluromethyl)phenyl-4-thiazolidinone (TZ), isoxaben and 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB). Two mutant genes encoding isoxaben and TZ-resistant cellulose synthase have been isolated from isoxaben and TZ-resistant Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. When compared with the gene coding for isoxaben or TZ-sensitive cellulose synthase, one of the resistant CS genes contains a point mutation, wherein glycine residue 998 is replaced by an aspartic acid. The other resistant mutation is due to a threonine to isoleucine change at amino acid residue 942. The mutant CS gene can be used to impart herbicide resistance to a plant; thereby permitting the utilization of the herbicide as a single application at a concentration which ensures the complete or substantially complete killing of weeds, while leaving the transgenic crop plant essentially undamaged.

• Research Organization: Carnegie Institute of Washington
• Sponsoring Organization: United States Department of Energy
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-94ER20133
• Assignee: U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): 7,241,878
• Application Number: 10/721,996
• OSTI ID: 912868
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES